Off The Beaten Track - in Berlin, Kreuzberg

I would like to create a map for visitors - or Berliners - that helps to find the hidden gems off the beaten track. I live in a very popular and central area of Berlin and I see many tourists walking up and down one big street that they can find in every tourist guide. And I can't help but think about all the little unique places - shops, bars, restaurants, cafés, galleries... - that they will miss.

I want the map to include just a few but very different and places so it is possible to see everything on a weekend trip, and focus on one neighborhood so everything is in walking distance.

It should be the kind of insider map and guide I'd wish to have when I go on a trip to another city - like a good friend who can show me around and show me what's not in my tourist guide.

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For the first exercise I followed Annes's suggestion to just start any handdrawn map - mine doesn't have to do with the project directly, it's just my daily walk in the morning, bringing my to children to school and daycare. It was fun to see how ideas and thoughts just popped up in my mind while I was doodling:

1. The walk is not very logical when you look at it - it would make more sense to walk to daycare first and then to school. But I have to be at school before daycare, so I am taking a longer walk than I could.

2. We are 3 Persons when we leave the house, and it's just me when I come back. I thought it would be nice to visualize that, too.

3. When I walk to school I don't cross the square (which would save me some time) but I take a longer route because I want to cross the street where it has a traffic light so my 6 year old gets used to walking the safer route. So I decided the traffic light would be an important part of the map, too. After dropping him off I take the direct route because I am in a hurry and I hope my 3 year old doesn't mind.

4. The sheet of paper I used was too small - but instead of doing it again I just continued on the newspaper that was under the sheet of paper. I really like collages so I might even use a similar technique on purpose for my final map.